REVIEW

Shoulder injuries in tennis players

H van der Hoeven¹ and W B Kibler²

¹ Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
² Lexington Clinic Sports Medicine Centre, Lexington, KY, USA

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
H van der Hoeven
Antonius Hospital, Nieuwegein 3992 BL, the Netherlands; hvdhoeven{at}planet.nl

The mechanism of the overhead action in throwing sports has been studied extensively. This motion is unnatural and highly dynamic, often exceeding the physiological limits of the joint. Owing to overload of various anatomical structures, the shoulder is susceptible to injury. Optimal shoulder function requires good kinetic chain function, optimal stability, and coordination of the scapula in the overhead action. A well balanced action of the rotator cuff muscles and capsular structures is necessary to obtain a stable centre of rotation during the overhead action. This review concerns shoulder injuries, related to the overhead motion in tennis players, which can be explained by the same mechanism as thrower’s shoulder.

View larger version (114K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 4  Type II scapular dyskinesis of the right shoulder in a man with anterior instability. The patient has given permission for publication of this figure.

 

View larger version (65K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 7  On the left side, passive internal rotation is normal. On the right side, the dominant throwing arm clearly shows limited passive internal rotation. Testing the arc of rotation in this position is the most reliable way to detect differences between the two shoulders. The patient has given permission for publication of this figure.

 

Abbreviations: GIRD, glenohumeral internal rotation deficit; IGHL, inferior glenohumeral ligament; SLAP, superior labrum anterior to posterior

Keywords: shoulder; tennis; kinetic chain; glenohumeral internal rotation deficit; SICK scapula

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Commentary

W J Willems³

³ Onze lieve vrouwe gasthuis, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; w.j.willems{at}olvg.nl

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